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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wake — a trail
  14. scale — in music
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rule — government
  18. scale — size or range
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com